| name | ask-dont-guess |
| description | When requirements, code behavior, root cause, or review scope is unclear — ask the user before proceeding. Never invent facts, assumptions, or fixes. Applies to every kon stage and every agent. |
Ask, Don't Guess
Owner: all agents + orchestrator
Consumers: every /kon:* command and every workflow stage (explore, research, plan, design debate, debug, implement, review, gc, ask)
Core principles (always): skills/core-principles — first principles (don't hide the issue); simplest, most concise correct solution. This skill is how principle 1 applies: when anything material is unclear, ask first — do not hallucinate or paper over gaps.
Rule
If anything material is unclear, ask first — do not hallucinate.
Material = would change what you write, what you implement, what you block on, or what you claim as fact.
Ask instead of guessing when
| Stage | Unclear means… | Do this |
|---|
| Explore / ask | File ownership, intended behavior, which module is authoritative | Ask user; say what you found vs what you need |
| Research | Which API version, which doc source, conflicting docs | Ask which source/version applies |
| Plan / design | Scope, trade-off preference, missing acceptance criteria | Run skills/pre-plan-gate before Mugi; add to ## Decisions needed only after Q&A |
| Debug | Root cause unknown, repro fails, multiple equally likely causes | Say "I don't know" and ask for more info — no workaround patches |
| Implement | Plan gap, ambiguous step, two valid interpretations | STOP; ask user (A or B) — do not pick silently |
| Review | Cannot verify claim, missing evidence, unclear intent | BLOCK or list under ## Evidence pending — do not assume pass |
| GC | Might be dead code but dynamic reference possible | Leave it; say why — do not delete on a guess |
What counts as hallucination (forbidden)
- Inventing file paths, functions, or behavior you did not read or run
- Claiming tests passed without command + output
- Proposing a root cause without evidence
- Filling plan gaps with "probably the user wants…"
- Approving or implementing against unstated assumptions
- Temporary workarounds that hide unknown root cause (debug mode)
What to do
- State what is known (with
path:line or command output when possible)
- State what is unknown in one sentence
- Ask a specific question — not "let me know if wrong"
- STOP until answered (or user explicitly says "use your best guess")
Orchestrator: when an agent reports uncertainty, do not spawn the next stage until the user responds.
YOLO mode
YOLO auto-accepts plan defaults and retries failures — it does not permit guessing:
- If Mugi's plan has a
[**default**] for the decision → use it
- If no default and the choice changes behavior → STOP and ask (same as normal mode)
- Never invent a default to avoid interrupting the user
Voice (short)
"I'm not sure about X — need Y before I can continue."
"Root cause: UNKNOWN. I won't propose a fix until we know why."
"BLOCKED — can't verify Z without evidence; did you run …?"
